General view of Mubarak Sayyid's Tomb, Mehmadabad

Photograph of Mubarak Sayyid's Tomb, situated 3 miles north-east of Mahemdavad (Mehmadabad) in Gujarat, taken by Henry Cousens sometime in the 1880s or 1890s. This building, the tomb of the 'wazir' or chief minister of Mahmud Begarha, dates to 1484. It is similar in style to that of the saint Qutb 'Alam at Vatva outside nearby Ahmadabad. The majority of fifteenth-century Gujarati tombs are pillared, trabeate pavilions. However, these two examples differ in their use of true domes and arches to construct a lofty edifice around the cenotaphs of the deceased. There is a central domed chamber on two storeys with a surrounding single storeyed verandah and a porched entrance to the south. Pierced stone screens were used to fill the spaces between the pillars to filter light and air to create a cool, shady interior. The entire building stands on a high stone plinth. The Imperial Gazetter of India describes this building as follows: "The finest example that has come down to us of this class is the tomb of Mubarak Saiyid erected at Mahmudabad in 1484, which is wholly in the earlier arched style and one of the most splendid sepulchres in India, simple in plan, with a solidity and balance of parts about the whole that has rarely been equalled."